In the 1980s eminent American political scientist Joseph Nye presented the concept of ‘soft power’. Later his 2004 eponymous book further laid the rubrics for the erection of a soft power. According to Mr. Nye, global politics can be played through three different modes of operation: 1. Coercion with threats (stick) 2. By alluring the other parties through money in form of investments (carrot) 3. Soft Power (attraction through culture and attitude). Mr. Nye furthers his exegesis by saying that though sticks and carrots will always be needed yet being a soft power can implement a drastic drawdown in their requirement.
Being a ‘soft power’ demands a nation to entice others
not through cajolery, coercion or rewards but through what indeed a nation is.
In fact, one of the kernel reasons behind the United States of America’s global
rise has been the unique quiddity of their culture. The United States has been
a paragon state as per the criteria laid by Mr. Nye. It has been the birthplace
of McDonald’s, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Hewlett-Packard
and all other companies which have become indispensable for our daily lives. This
ultimately led to formation of a global perception that amenities are
preponderant in the American culture and this further accentuated “the great
American dream.” The USA became a globe straddling power not only because of
its colossal army but also because of the notion of the opulence of American
middle class that they were able to disseminate around the world after the
World War II.
Other countries too have unraveled the humongous
strength of being a soft power and hence have tried to inculcate in themselves
elements germane to it. French used it to reinvigorate their nation with a new
sense of hope after the fall of Second French Empire in the Franco-Prussian War
of 1870 and thus established Alliance Française around the world in order to
impart education pertinent to the French culture. With more than 850 institutes
worldwide, Alliance Française has contributed a lion’s share in the
efforts to make the world conversant with the might of the French culture.
Other countries too followed the suit: The UK has the British Council, Germany
has Goethe Institut, Spain has Instituto Cervantes, and Italy has Istituto
Italiano Di Cultura.
Though,
around the world countries have taken big strides to wield benefit more from
the ‘soft power’ concept, yet what plunges me into despair is India’s blithe
attitude towards this increasingly crucial phenomenon. Due to the flippant as
well as ignorant eschewing of this concept, our nation which boasts of world’s
oldest and sumptuously decorated culture, has not been able to garner condign
popularity tantamount to its ‘soft power’.
A big step
was taken on 9th April, 1950, when Indian Council for Cultural
Relations (ICCR) was founded to foment the interest of the world in the Indian
culture and to promote the cultural integration of different civilizations with
that of the India. Though the merit of the Indian culture can provide ICCRI
with exceptional sinews, yet due to negligence of account of the authorities, ICCR
continues to exist in a fallow state.
On one hand,
as of 2014 People’s Republic of China (PRC) has opened over 480 Confucius
institutes (with the first being opened in 2004) and on the other hand, ICCR
(which is now 68 years old) has been able to open only 35 Indian culture
centers around the globe. Moreover, the funds endowed to the council are meager
and many programs worldwide have to be aborted due to the unavailability of funds.
Such brazen disregard is vexing and seems veritably lout but still continue scourge
Indian prospects of being a globally eminent power. China, despite practicing gross
human rights violation, is projecting itself as a center of culture and
excellence through the Confucius institutes (though their illicit activities on
the campuses are exposing them),and India on the other hand continues to sit
idle and do nothing to correct the wrongs.
Besides this,
our diplomatic relations too need a major overhaul. The whole world is aware
that Africa is going to become the food-bowl of the world, and India, owing to
its ginormous population, would need Africa as a stable partner, yet we have
not established our embassies in numerous countries of the African union. Same
remains the story for countries in Latin America (which believe that India is
the next big). We continue to wax praises about our prospective role as a
global leader nation, yet there are countries where we don’t even have an India
mission. Shashi Tharoor, in his book Pax India, talks about the same woe through
his example of Timor-Leste (a strategically important place where even Pakistan
holds an embassy!)
India’s
potential is surely marvelous and the economic progress that we have exhibited
in the seventy years of our independence is awe-inspiring, yet it remains to be
a matter of pity that people around the world are not even aware of what India has
to offer for them, and that too not because of their ignorance but because of
our own dereliction of duty. Latin America and the African Union are going to
play a large role as the power houses of the future world powers and countries
like PRC have already started working there with their characteristic mandarin
speed and if we still continue to lag behind, then our status quo would never
change from being a developing country to being a developed country. It’s high
time we started doing things with a vision of establishing Indian as a serious
player at the international stage.
JAI HIND, JAI BHARAT
JAI MA BHARTI
